Love Sailing

Friday 3rd August

With the chance of another holiday aboard, I had contacted Kevin with our plans to join in with 40th SSOA rally in Plymouth on the 8th of August.

Having filled the fresh water tank and the diesel tank on Thursday evening. Our punt was still full of stores for our weeks holiday aboard, we had decided to take our bigger punt and tow it behind, something we never normally do, having done once with our last yacht and it filled up with water and caused lots of drag. Dropping the mooring at 1300hrs we would be against the tide but it looked like we would have to motor due to lack of wind anyway. But out across the Falmouth Bay in southeast 2-3 the sailing was ok for a while before the engine went on due to GPS arrival time! The wind was due to go northwest and when it did it was still light until we got to the Dodman Point when the wind picked up to a northwest 4 and we had a great sail into Gorran Haven. As we entered  the cove I started the engine and we motored in dropping anchor at 1700hrs having logged 16nm.

Putting the engine on the punt we headed in for Fish&Chips, the best on the coast we have found in Cornwall.

Friday 27th July

After a late start Vicki cooked breakfast and after we sat in the cabin reading, this was a cloudy showery day but still warm.

As we were aground 1.5hrs either side of low water we stayed until we had for about an hour after we had re-floated and picked up the anchor at 1545hrs, we motored out of the moorings and set just the genoa, the wind was all over the place southwest then southeast then south and very gusty. Gusting 5 at times, this sent Elektra on her way due east at 5kts, when we thought we had gone far enough we tacked and sailed back into Gillan, still at times getting the side decks in the water during the stronger gusts.

We picked up our mooring in Gillan at 1630hrs having logged just 3.5nm

Thursday 26th July

This was going to be a long weekend aboard but as always now the school holidays were here the forecasters were telling us of wind and rain! With a forecast of increasing southerly wind on Friday, force 6 westerly on Saturday and southerly gale on Sunday we didn’t want to go to far from home.

We dropped the mooring in Gillan at 1445hrs and in a south-easterly 3-4 set out in the direction of the Dodman Point for a sail. This is something we never normally do, just go sailing, we like to be going somewhere! But we were going to return to the Helford River for the evening to avoid a beat back from the Falmouth area on Friday.

Partway out across the bay when we were on a starboard tack not heading for anywhere really we were shocked by a close encounter with another yacht (normally I am keeping a good lookout under the genoa for other yachts). This time I was lacking, Vicki was on the helm, out from behind the genoa only 6-8ft from Elektra’s port side came another yacht on a port tack. I am glad to say we were moving fast enough to avoid a collision. It was my friend Roger in his Southerly 100, they hadn’t seen us either but Roger turned up with a bottle of red as a apology a few days later.

After an hour with Vicki on the helm she said “how far are we going” I said “when you have had enough time I will take the helm and sail back” Having then talked about the time and when we would get back, at 1545hrs we decided to go-about. This was a very nice sunny day again and the reach to the Helford River was lovely, we were able to sail right into the narrows before the moorings before starting the engine.

We motored in and dropped anchor just west of Helford Point in Pennarven Cove at 1630hrs having logged 9nm.

Sunday 22nd July

Having got out late and lounged around in the sun nearly all day the time came when we needed to get back. At 1500hrs we lifted the anchor and sailed out of St Mawes, all was good until we got out into Falmouth Bay where the wind died away, there comes a time when we had to start the engine. We motored the rest of the way and picked up our mooring in Gillan at 1630hrs.

 

Saturday 21st July

With a forecast of variable 1-3, we were thinking it would be another slow sail and we were right, we had a easterly1-3 for the crossing of Falmouth Bay. I like sailing slowly sometimes, its nice to see how much speed I can get out of Elektra in not much wind, today we were getting 3-4kts in 6kts of wind across the bay until we got to Pendennis Point.

We were going to sail north 4nm to Channels Creek but with almost no wind now having passed Pendennis Point we decided to turn and go into St Mawes instead, we anchored off Place Manor having logged 7nm in 2.5hrs. We sat in the sun for a few hours until it went into the clouds.

Tuesday 17th July

On Tuesday I had arranged with the riggers at Mylor for them to refit the masthead light which came off during our passage back from The Isles of Scilly in June.

My sailing friend Roger had agreed to help me take Elektra in Mylor for the riggers to do the job, I had agreed with Roger to meet at St Anthony at 0800hrs for Elektra to get to Mylor by 1000hrs. As it happened there was little or no wind and we had to motor, I phoned the riggers as we arrived, they told us to moor on the eastern pontoon. Elektra was taken in rafted by the riggers launch to the pontoon under the crane.

The riggers used the crane to get to the masthead, they told me it was an old cable and one of the core wires was broken somewhere but they were able to get both the anchor light and the tricolour working again by using other cores and after replacing the anchor lamp. After the job was done the riggers took Elektra back out to the fairway and cast off, I thought it was a very good service.

Once out we were to late to get back on our mooring before the tide would be to low to get ashore so we decided to sail to Porthscatho, the wind had picked up from the southwest and a reef in the main was needed to stop her rounding up as we sailed down to the Carrick Roads to St Anthony Light. From there I let the reef out and we goose winged towards the Dodman Pt until we could reach into Porthscatho.

We stopped there for an hour, had coffee and a snack before heading for home, it would be a beat to windward, we sailed south for 3nm before tacking to the west, we were hard on the wind but we didn’t need to tack again, we had logged 23nm today. Back on the mooring in Gillan the tide was still out but with jobs to do and another cup of coffee saw us going ashore at 1800hrs.

Monday 16th July

Monday ended up being one of those days we sailors live for, the forecast was WNW4. We picked up our anchor and sailed out of St Mawes on just our genoa but soon felt we needed more sail. By barring away a bit I pushed out the boom and pulled up the mainsail without stopping, off we sped at 6-7kts SOG on a calm sea keeping up with a 60ft ketch which hadn’t raised her mizzen sail.

It was all over to quick, we had covered the 6nm from anchor to mooring at Gillan in just one hour, the GPS had recorded a max SOG of 7.8kts.

Sunday 15th July

Sunday is a day of rest and that’s what we did after a late start we motored our dinghy over to St Mawes and the sailing club for showers before looking at a few places for somewhere to eat lunch. After food there was some shopping needed, milk, bread and a bottle of wine for the evening. Then back to Elektra for a lazy afternoon, the plan was to move later when the tide comes back into deeper water for a easier get away on Monday.

Saturday 14th July

The plan for Saturday was more exploring, there seemed to be a bit of breeze from the southwest, we left Gorran just on the genoa to look at Porthmellon just south of Mevgissey. As we sailed around Chapel Point we could see a nice looking anchorage so sailed in slowly to check it out, this one looked good, nice sandy bottom, would be good in a northwest or settled weather.

Out from there again we rounded the point and sailed towards Porthmellon, this would be good shelter in any wind from the west but the green slimy seaweed on the shore put us off so we motored out again. We were going to look at Polkerris the other side of the bay but this would have been open to the southwest breeze.

So with a total change of mind we decided to sail back to the Falmouth area, Vicki asked how is the tide, I checked with us I said, as we rounded Chapel Point again I hauled up the main and coiled the lines, we motored west until west of Yaw Rock and set sail on a starboard cross tack until 2nm south of the Dodman Point, when we tacked onto our making tack our heading was due west towards Porthscatho, we now logging over 6kts. Elektra sailed well compared to the other yachts on passage out there at the time, keeping up with lots much bigger than our 29ft. From Porthscatho we tacked south again for 3nm before tacking onto the final making tack into the Carrick Roads, on rounding the St Anthony Lt the wind died and I packed away the main and rolled the genoa and motored Elektra into St Mawes and Place to drop anchor.

Friday 13th July

The tide was not going to be with us until 1540hrs but we didn’t want to wait that long, I know to early, we dropped anchor at 1100hrs and we set all the sail out of the Helford River and headed for the Dodman Point, to start with the sailing saw good but once off the Roseland the SOG slowed and we had to motor.

We nearly turned back but I suggested taking a look at Porthloe just east of Gull Rock, this we did, motoring up to the entrance but deciding not to stop as the breeze had picked up from the southwest, we thought it could be a good place in a northerly.

From there we set sail again and sailed east to the Dodman point until the wind died off the point. We then motored into Gorran Haven and dropped anchor at 1545hrs.

In the evening we went ashore and had great fish and chips from the local shop